Civilisation 4: Beyond the Sword

Two whole years since the last full Civ game, level packs like this keep the franchise alive. Beyond the Sword adds new nations, leaders, traits and abilities to what was already a complex game, plus 12 new scenarios - some of which (like Afterworld) go way beyond the normal historical themes. And yes, there is an element of navel-gazing in any new Civ release as it drifts ever closer to Second Life in terms of repetition and slowness. But in an otherwise forgettable summer, losing a few weeks in deep strategy isn't such a bad idea.